A Notice to Appear is the charging document in immigration court. It says why the government believes a person can be removed from the United States, and it begins a case before an immigration judge.
It is serious, and it is also the start of a process with real defenses. The first two weeks set up everything that follows.
Read it closely
- Check that your name, date of birth and country are correct.
- Read the allegations of fact and the charges. They are separate, and either can be contested.
- Look for the hearing date, time and court address. Some notices do not include them, and the court sends a hearing notice later.
Keep the envelope. When and how it arrived can matter.
Find your hearing
The Executive Office for Immigration Review runs the immigration courts. Its online case status tool and phone line give the next hearing date for a case number, which is printed on the notice.
Check it every week. Hearings are rescheduled, and notices are sometimes sent to an old address.
Update your address
The court needs your current address. File Form EOIR-33 with the court within five days of any move. A change of address sent to USCIS does not reach the court, and the reverse is also true.
A person who misses a hearing can be ordered removed in their absence. Many of those orders begin with a notice sent to an address the court no longer had.
Get counsel
You have the right to a lawyer in immigration court, but not one paid for by the government. Bring the notice, any earlier immigration papers and any criminal records to the first meeting. See Removal defense and enforcement.
Sources
Published Feb. 10, 2026.